Mt. Assiniboine Hike -> Two Strangers, One Adventure

Parents always warn; “Don’t talk to strangers”. However, in the world of travel, strangers play a vital role for discovering new adventures. If meeting a man on a mountain trail and agreeing for him to join along on a multi-day hike alone in the Canadian backcountry sounds like an irresponsible life choice, maybe don’t continue reading.

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Still reading? Cool, we are on the same page. 

In a nutshell, yes. I met a guy while hiking in Leavenworth and within our first normal encounter over beers in Seattle, I agreed for him to venture into Canada with me to hike and explore for several nights. By the end of our adventure, I can’t imagine having done the trip without his company.

Before the word vomit starts spewing, a few basic answers for any readers curious about the Mt. Assiniboine Nublet Hike/Lodge/etc:

-      ->  Can you drive to the Mt. Assiniboine Lodge? NO – the lodge is in the valley itself and only accessible from hiking or helicopter

-       -> Are there many bears? YES – It is not uncommon for the campground to get shutdown from aggressive Grizzly Bear activity. Bring bear spray.

-       -> How far is the lodge? From the Mt. Shark Trailhead it was about 17 miles ONE WAY (6-8hrs)

-       -> Is it the most beautiful hike created on this beautiful green earth? You have no idea….

Those basic questions seemed insanely difficult to find answers to on the Internet so I hope that provides some clarity for any curious trekkers.

Time to give a more detailed description of my mountain man and my own adventure.

We drove about 7hrs from Spokane, WA to Canmore. Along the way, there is the Black Forest Schnitzel House that has an acoustic dome in the ceiling and provides way to much entertainment for two adult individuals. Just saying, check it out.

Anyways, we arrived in Canmore fairly late at night after following our GPS to what we thought was the Mt. Assiniboine lodge itself. Turns out the map actually lead to the Post Office since the Lodge only provides a PO Box for contact info. Mistake number one on our part. Therefore, our first night was spent sleeping in the back of my Jeep on a random Canmore side street.

Waking up mildly refreshed but mostly excited to be in the mountains, Jason (mountain man) and I walked a block to the Good Earth Coffeehouse for our daily morning injection of caffeine and breakfast (awesome coffee house with insanely nice service). We were given direction to the visitor center from our barista and were hoping to gain some insight on the days hike. At the visitor center itself, the worker knew nothing about the Nub or Nublet hike except how to get to the trailhead. However, the center was still a good resource for maps and we were able to ascertain directions to the trail parking lot.

The trailhead parking lot is about an 1:15hr away from Canmore via a scenic gravel road. There is also a topography map, brief description and several pit toilets. Our mistake number two we did not discover until later. The beginning of the hike was under the impression that the trail was 17-miles in total. However, only upon returning to Canmore at the end of the adventure did we discover that it was actually 17-miles EACH WAY. This made for an interesting hike.

The only company encountered during the hike in was a photographer and his gear mule. They highly encouraged doing the Wonder Pass instead of Assiniboine Pass. The selling points were that Wonder was more scenic, slightly longer, slightly steeper, golden larches and holds the yellow brick road. Upon eye contact and a head node, Jason and I were sold and diverged from our original route. In a brief, honest summary; we got our asses OWNED by that trail. Wonder Pass was breathtaking, but literally… it took the air from our lungs and entirely crushed our bodies and souls. (Maybe I’m being slightly dramatic, but you get the idea). A positive note is that there were plenty of streams for water filing points –Yay? However, Jason and I agree that although we don’t know what the other pass was like, we are still happy that we accomplished Wonder Pass and would recommend it to anyone hiking in.

Once at the lodge, it’s an understatement to say that we were simply tired. The idea of walking 500m was soul wrecking. The photographer previously mentioned had also informed us of some bear activity from the nights he stayed in the area. It was with a strong conviction that he encouraged renting a Naiset Hut for the night. Since our legs were shaking and neither of us are particularly fond of the idea of a bear wrecking our tent, we agreed to ask the lodge if there were any huts available. To our luck of being unplanned, spontaneous individuals – there was no vacancy.  Additionally, the campground was being closed due to the aggressive grizzly bear activity in the area. There was somebody out hanging up signs that the area was closed, yet we must’ve been ahead of the messengers because we passed no notice. Therefore, there was no open campground, huts or high end lodging options. Oops?

Rolling with the “fuck it” mentality, Jason and I set up camp near the burn pile in the woods by the huts and had a true “squatter” experience. Glorious.

Positives of squatting in a high grizzly bear activity area: Free camping in a beautiful, scenic and isolated area

Negatives of squatting in a high grizzly bear activity area: No sleep because every sound at night could be a grizzly bear coming to ripe your tent and body apart piece by piece

Between our overly active imaginations combined with endless natural sounds a below freezing temperature drop at night, neither of us got much sleep.

Nonetheless, we awoke the next morning and hiked to the picturesque viewpoint that was my prime motivation for this adventure: The Nublet. Roughly a mile each way, the trail was insanely muddy so bring hiking boots. However, at the top of the ridge the hiker is rewarded with an astonishing view of three turquoise lakes scattered like gems amongst golden larches all bowing to the might Mount Assiniboine.  Talk about some nature magic.  Words cannot express.

We combined the Nublet hike with our hike back to the trailhead and in total did 19miles the second day. All in all, what a wonderful adventure.

Over coffee and ice cream, Jason and I laughed at how misfortunate some of the scenarios were and yet how much fun it made the experience. We also compiled some things that we determined would’ve been a good idea to know ahead of time. From one spontaneous unplanned adventurer to another, here are a few tips and hints for hiking into Mt. Assiniboine and the Nublet:

-       -> Splurge and reserve the Naiset Huts instead of camping. They are $25 per night and worth it even just to get the sleep without having bear nightmares.

-      ->  There is a VERY nice kitchen facility for the guests and camper use at the lodge area, equipped with pots and pans and all. Also includes bear bins for free use.

-       -> Try and plan to stay for at least two nights. Hiking in is exhausting and the area is so beautiful that having a free day to play and enjoy the scenery you worked so hard to reach would be highly encouraged.

-       -> Jason’s lesson: Bring waterproof shoes/boots – that trail gets muddy!

-       -> You can helicopter in/out gear for $2.25/per lb

-       -> Don’t forget to bring your camera, this place is unreal

-       ->The lodge has the BEST hospitality ever

-       -> There is “tea time” from 4-5pm. If you arrive after and ask very nicely, they might sell you beer to go ;)

-       The lodge prepares meals but has limited space so make reservations if you are not planning on bringing in food

Hopefully this provides some answers for any curious hikers and travelers in the area. Although I’ve given some insight and guidelines, I want to encourage the spirit of adventure in spontaneity and flexibility. Be willing to diverge from your notes and explore a new path. You never know when you might meet a random mountain man and have an adventure of a lifetime.

"You're Being Such a Passenger"

An ultimate line to behavior check another tour guide is simple: You are acting like such a passenger right now. 

Not intended as meaning curious, spirited or eager; the adjectives you'd think would be associated with passengers who are experiencing the trip of a lifetime. Rather, this line is intended as a verbal slap and is the same as saying "You're being a fucking idiot".


This line wouldn't exist if it wasn't from experiences during the season. I went into this job bright eyed and hopeful that my passengers would be eager young travelers like myself. To be fair, I'd say 90% were and I've made some lifelong friends around the world. However, it's that other 10% that the stories are always about.

If you are preparing to book a tour, whether in the states or abroad. Here are the Top Five Passenger Do Nots.

1) "Why isn't the Wi-Fi working?" - Guess what, your tour leader does not care and finds it insanely petty that you can't be disconnected from the world for a few hours or at most a few days. Turn off the phone and interact with the people or nature around you.

2) During a drive in the middle of the country - "What's that (insert completely random object like fence or post box sign here)?" - Believe it or not, America is HUGE and no tour leader, regardless of how many seasons on the road, is going to know every mile of every road and every fence post on every street corner. If you couldn't answer the question about the middle of nowhere in your own home country, we can't either.

3) Insanely specific questions about things you don't honestly care about - "How deep is this random alpine lake that we stopped at for lunch?" or "How tall is the tallest tree on this hike?". We can see right through your gimmick. We know you don't care and are just testing our knowledge to see if we are capable of answering. Quit being a jerk and save it for when you actually are curious for the answer.

4) Google Fact checking your guide = Not cool. Sure, we all make mistakes. Maybe I said 510 ft and it's actually 520 ft. But guess what, I was close and you get the picture or point. When a passenger uses Google to double check some fun facts I'm spitting out, you're just being a show off that nobody likes. As guides, we are trained and study our asses off but nobody is perfect. Again, you don't actually care about that answer or the specific measurement; you're just being a dick.

5) Thinking that because you have a guide, you don't have to act like a human adult - Yes, you have a tour leader who is supposed to prep you and plan things and make your travel as stress free as possible. However, this is not permission to act like a complete insufficient human being. Pick up the garbage you dropped, leave the area the same if not better than you found it, stop trying to feed a goddamn squirrel after being warned countless times that they are wild animals, and quit complaining about things that can't be changed like the weather or how long the drives are.

As a tour leader, I love my job and find it immensely rewarding. I have the opportunity to do amazing adventures and take people on fantastic itineraries around a truly beautiful and diverse country. Yet the passengers and group members can make or break even the best planned trip and most senior tour leader. Some senior leaders say that one day, I'll quit actually caring about my passengers and their experiences and it'll just be a job. I don't want that day to come. I hope I continue to genuinely care about making a lifetime experience for people. However, as a potential person on one of my future tours, all I can say is; "Don't be such a Passenger" - be a traveler and explore with some intelligence and common sense.

Visual example of an awesome group #CurtisCrew

What is it like to be a guide?

5 months ago, I agreed to pack a bag and travel from my comfortable lakeside home in Washington to the beautiful wine region of Northern California to be trained to become a North American Adventure Guide. As a first time guide, I had no idea what it was that I signed up for. The job description was vague (at best) and even after completing a month long training course, I was still completely clueless. In a nutshell, it seemed that I should only imagine myself in a van with thirteen foreign strangers whom have the independence level of a newborn infant and answering all their naïve questions about why the wi-fi (wee-fee) isn't working while maneuvering and preventing every possible road born death scenario possible. That's pretty much the message I ascertained from training. However, my first season as a guide experienced far different scenarios.

  (My first Northern Cross Country Trip - 1 month, 6,000+ miles)

 Let me start by saying this; guiding is no walk in the park. I know that it may seem like all we do is laugh, drink, meet travelers and have a kick ass time. And sure, that is a good chunk of the day. But the other part of the day is internalizing all our "O shit, I think I'm lost" moments or subsiding our rage when someone says "Sorry, I broke (insert expensive piece of gear here)". The job even goes as low as eating a box of graham crackers in the back seat of the van with the doors locked while crying by oneself because you are out of cell service and you just need one damn normal conversation that isn't about tomorrow's itinerary and that's something no passenger would understand. Being a traveling guide is the most absurd sense of loneliness. You are constantly surrounded by individuals and conversation yet with an endless facade. After countless memorable and beautiful moments shared, these people pay you and disappear from your life and you are left alone yet again for several days in a dingy, ghetto Motel 6 in the butt hole of LA or New York or Las Vegas before beginning the process with new strange faces all over again.

Don't I make this job sound so appealing?

However, at the end of even the roughest day, this is still the BEST job I've ever had.

Imagine waking up along a lake in beautiful West Yellowstone. Your passengers are still sleeping. You fire up that propane and the smell of coffee begins to fill the air. Since it's the Northwest, you bust out the Huckleberry Syrup you secretly bought during the groups free time yesterday. The sun is slowly breaking over the mountain range in the distance and the campground has a soft yellow glow. Sizzling flapjacks are on the skillet and the group is starting to crawl out of their tents as the baked breakfast aroma mingles with the scent of fresh pine. Then, as the weary eyed travelers begin gathering around the table, everyone freezes.... Only feet away, traversing through the tents like a dazed passengers, is a male bison. Passing your group as if a stalk of trees, the bison wanders off into the forest just as the first batch of pancakes is ready to be served. "Good fucking morning, y'all"is the Australian's comment, and all you can think is "yea, good fucking morning".

That is one the the many stories from this season that makes me love my job.

Now this season as given me a lot, but is has also completely deprived me of any free time. Therefore, I am planning on committing the next few weeks to retelling some of my favorite experiences and stories from this season as a guide. Hopefully, you find them as amusing or intriguing as I have. If not, I'll reread these anecdotes before hitting the road next season and hopefully I'll make my future self chuckle (Hi future self!).

Class is Out

Reflecting on the last five days creates a unique paradigm wherein the week is lost in translation. Through travel, I’ve come to the conclusion that time is measured in personal growth instead of minutes to the hour. Therefore, since Monday it’s been light-years.  To be frank; training week was nonstop. The amount of information crammed into five days was more than studying for most entry-level college exams. Learning did not stop once the conference door swung home, rather the whole week experience has been learning and preparing for future endeavors. Better to provide too much information when training a guide rather than not enough.

A surprise factor to the introductory guide life was how well the group is meshing. Twenty strangers from across the country, ranging in ages 22-38, both inexperienced and experienced are all dropped into a training camp sight for an indefinite period of time – sounds like a reality TV show, right? Wrong.

Not a single moment of fighting, bickering, under the breath talking or any alternative sense of the word “drama” has occurred. Nights and days breeze by as individuals’ float amongst one another to find commonalities, seek stories to exchange and offer ideas and advice. Some nights are filled with s’mores and ghost talks, while others are investigating a campsite break-in (a story in itself). Morning starts around 6am; group members gather around the breakfast pit to whiff the aroma of coffee and exchange slight profanity over the bitter cold of the campsite. Once caffeine kicks the personality awake, we are driving our van caravan through winding redwood roads and passing Sonoma wine country vineyards while exchanging musical tastes and singing along to the words we know. My personal favorite moment of these drives was the daylight. Driving through rolling hills cradling a lingering mist as day breaks through scattered trees in an attempt to possess a new day and clear away the persistent shadows from an envious night. A true Golden Hour to filter these pristine memories of guide training.

Yesterday was day 5 of training the final day of in-class learning for two weeks. The crews packed up the trailers and were given the itinerary for the “Training Trip”. I’d like to keep some mystery as to the experiences we are about to have, but I’ll let you know this; it’s going to be incredible! After laundry and a pizza party (at the laundry mat, of course) the group called it an early night in preparation for today. I’m finally sitting ALONE at a coffee shop, catching up on writing and letting my notes and lessons sink in from the last few days. We’ve been unleashed upon the city of San Francisco and have this free day to do as we wish. Although running through the redwoods for sunsets helped; some personal time in my own mind has been greatly needed.

Tonight is an exciting activity that the company was generous enough to organize for the group. We are scheduled the take a sunset sailboat tour through the Bay of San Francisco provided from one of the company’s partnered with TrekAmerica and Intrepid Tours. I’ve never sailed and I can’t wait to experience it for the first time! And then tomorrow, our two week training trip begins……

To Guide or Not to Guide?

The chaos has begun and one could safely say; We have no idea what we are doing. That's right. The future guides who will be teaching the ways of the American world and educating international visitors on this lands culture, history and lifestyle have absolutely NO idea what we are doing. Yet want to know what's great? We are passionate to learn.

On only the completion now of Day Two, I can safely say that through the exhausting schedule and constant information bombardment, the fire to learn is only fueled more. The group of recruited guides has a plethora of experiences, strengths, backgrounds and inspirations. Ranging from an backpacking German who hasn't established "home" in 10-years to a young girl from Boston who has never backpacked before in her life; These future American Guides have the commonality of a thirst for adventure.

I had hesitations and fears when agreeing to being an Adventure Tour Guide. The thought of being solely responsible for a group of international citizens is still a daunting task. Additionally, the knowledge required to be a memorable is successful guide has required more homework and research than (frankly) most my college courses.

Joy comes from the realization that regardless of the fear of a new challenge and unknown tasks that may arise, the rewards are far greater. When envisioning cooking breakfast over a campfire within the valley of Yosemite as my sleepy eyed group stumbles out of tents or explaining the definition of a "two-step" while chowing down at a loud country BBQ in Texas - there is going to be no greater job in the world.

So far, the longest time I've had to myself has been the 5min walk from our training base camp to the conference center to learn logistic materials. Therefore, blogging and keeping updated will be a task. However, it is my goal to document the thoughts, fears, confrontations, joys, challenges, rewards and joy I experience as a first year guide with PEAK Adventures. Not only to serve as a resource and personal success (or possibly failure) story for others interested in entering into the same career path, but also for myself as a personal escape and recant of my day and adventures.

On that note, exciting news of the day: I've received my first clothing sponsorship! Bombsheller is a "bomb" legging company based out of Seattle that my sister and climbing friends told me about. Needless to say, these tights are dope and I was able to sweet talk my way into swag.

Check out the sight if you want some outlandishly awesome tights for yoga, climbing, chilling or whatever. Us my code to get a discount even (#jackpot)

Discount code: TrekkingWithBrooke

http://shop.bombsheller.com/landing 

Enjoy shopping and I'll check in at the end of the week! Fun hint; We have a group activity to check out a vendor this Saturday in San Francisco!!

Sykes Hot Springs and San Francisco China Town

Another day, another adventure completed. Though my geographic location is not as exotic as Nepal or Bali, the outstanding options for outdoor exploration is not shortened. Sykes Hot Springs is a gorgeous trail loop through Pfeiffer National Forest in Big Sur, California. Hiking into the springs has an arguable distance. Some have said it to be 10-miles oneway, others say it is closer to 12miles. Regardless, endurance is recommended as the trail traverses hillsides and has an unwavering up and down battle.

If one is capable, I recommend bringing gear and food to stay the night at the hot springs. Although the trail passes through other camp options, staying at the springs themselves is a magical and rewarding option. There are nearly a dozen sites along the river and within close proximity to the lower spring.

My adventure partner, Kevin, and I spent majority of our time in the upper spring. Sipping our backpacking beer and wine while talking and smelling the delicious sulfur. A friendly gentleman who claims to be an avid swimmer felt the temperature and guest the spring to be at roughly 95degrees - comfortable to soothe our tired legs!

In total, hiking in took close to 5 hours with a 30-minute lunch break. Hiking out took closer to 4 hours with only a 15 minute break. We did this trip in early March and did get rain in the evening, as well as for 2 hrs during the hike out. Coming in during a Friday was perfect because we were virtual alone except for one other group of 3 guys and the occasional day hiker. However, when leaving on Saturday, close to 20 other people were trekking in for an overnight trip so beware of your chosen day!

After the trek, Kevin and I indulged in delicious sandwiches and alcoholic coffee drinks at Nepenthe along the Highway 1 coast in Big Sur.

The next day, we drove from San Jose up the Highway 1 coast again at a leisurely rate. Stopping along the way to walk along the California cliff sides and taking in the breathtaking views. The most entertaining sight was watching a small sea lion swim onto the beach. Kevin and I hide behind rocks like stealthy ninja's to sneak up close pictures of the now name seal; Ned.

"Turning water into something drinkable" was the slogan for Highway 1's brewery where we stopped for some live music, beer sampling and a game of chess. The crabby patty sandwich was heavenly and especially paired with the Curious George Banana Stout - Mmmmmm!

Once in San Francisco, the days truly flew by. I had been invited to attend a hiring event to become an Adventure Tour Guide for the summer season while Kevin meandered to a gaming convention. Afterwards, we walked through downtown San Francisco and particularly explored Chinatown. We had found Tin How Temple, however it close at 4pm and when we arrived at 3:45pm.. the doors were already locked.

Therefore, we switched our hunt to finding the original fortune cookie which is where the now traditional treat was first invented! Afterwards, we met with the other potential future guides and indulged in a few beers at the Monarch (a trendy bar showing old black and white silent films and offering a free Photo Booth). To end the night, we indulged in some delicious Totcho's (Tater tot nacho's) while failing epically at a round of bar trivia.

All in all, another great trip. Keep your fingers crossed for me and this guide position! If I get it, I will soon be adventuring around America and then the real blogs and photo fun will begin! Muwahahah